Here are the last of my pictures of things I liked at Longwood Gardens. I'll start on the outside. If anyone is a model train enthusiast, you would love to see this display. Three men designed and built the scene and these are their trains running the tracks. It was pure delight to watch the trains and the reactions of the spectators. There is something about a train garden that inspires the child inside us all, you know? ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) A little sprig of Christmas-y holly, one of my favorite shrubs, and they were gorgeous. ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Back inside the Conservatory.... Longwood Gardens is known for the fountains in the outside gardens. Inside the Conservatory, they had installed a number of lovely water features for this display. First, this simple fountain near the 1000 Bloom Chrysanthemum... so pretty I HAD to record it from different perspectives. ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) This fountain was fun. Every 20 seconds a big "floop" of water shot out of the top of the fountain, straight up through a hole in the archway, to ring the bell hanging above! This was in the Children's Garden. The bottom -- the "floop" shot out of here..... ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) The top -- the water shot up and rang this bell.... ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) The whole fountain, archway and bell. ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Other neat things in the childeren's garden.... Water sprayed into the turtle's mouth and I'm behind a water curtain ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Sweet fountain of mama bird and babies.... ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) the babies were cute for being metal.. ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) very beautiful iron gate... ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Every garden need a place to make music... ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) They had an impressive display of bonsai, beautiful and technical, if you like bonsai. I'm not particularly a fan (personally I preferred the old tree that was being supported on the outside....) but it was still fascinating. Here is one of the oldest trees at 100 years old! 100 year old bonsai maple tree ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) The grapefruit trees in planters were very pretty -- the green of the fruit, the fragrance... wonderful. Grapefruit trees ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Don't they look pretty? ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) Finally, the orchid house... Oh my goodness... I wish I had taken more pictures of the flowers because they were stunning. I got so caught up looking at them closely, I guess I forgot. The blossoms were like so many smiling faces... so pretty. Here is one that shows about a quarter of the whole orchid display. Orchid house. ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) If I'm not mistaken, there will be an Orchid display in the main hall in February. I wonder what that will be like? So, that concludes our visit to Longwood Gardens. So much to see and it's Autumn/Winter -- can you imagine how it is in Spring and Summer? It is a magical place... I wish we could all go there and have a GardenStew picnic. You would love it there as much as I do.
Fascinating place DB, I would enjoy soaking up the sights there. Thanks for the virtual tour. I liked the idea of a fountain-activated bell.
OO I love the fountain with the mother birds and her babies and that Maple tree is to die for. How I'd love to add it to my collection!! What a wonderful place the Longwood gardens are Daisy and I'm so glad you took lots of photographs for us all. :-D
Thanks loads for taking the time to post this third installment. I really liked seeing the pics. The fountains were ones that had been made with a lot of thought...that's plain to see. You looked right at home in-between those orchids. I know what you mean about those trains. I can stand and watch them for hours.
You know, everything there seems like it has been well-thought out and is carefully done. A lot of the placards that describe the displays or plants reference the botanists and other plant professionals who research, design, build and maintain the place. I would be curious to know just how many people work there all together. We saw a few of the guys who do the watering and such and they seemed proud and invested in what they were doing. They have a lecture program and classes too but I don't live quite close enough to take advantage of them. Wouldn't it be fun though?
Daisy, I love all 3 parts of your visit to Longwood Gardens. I wish you had hundreds more pictures. I love the fountain that makes the bell ring. Thanks so much for sharing your adventure.
